CBS St. Louishttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com
News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and St. Louis' Top SpotsTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:56:12 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/http://1.gravatar.com/blavatar/1d73253f7dbeb00d259afb96a3ce7782?s=96&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngCBS St. Louishttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com
5 Things To Watch As MLS Season Beginshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/5-things-to-watch-as-mls-season-begins/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/5-things-to-watch-as-mls-season-begins/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 22:38:09 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=420010The calendar has flipped to March which means our 5th professional sports league starts up.]]>With the change of the calendar from February to March, the beginning of the Major League Baseball season is coming, but also for another of our professional sports leagues: Major League Soccer. The MLS is gaining in popularity steadily over recent years, and could get a boost from the excitement of the World Cup last summer. The season gets underway on Friday, so let’s take a look at five things to watch heading into this year’s season.

Will ratings improve? We alluded to the excitement of the World Cup last summer and what that could mean for soccer ratings for the domestic league moving forward, and apparently major TV networks are betting on the same kind of rise in viewership. This year the TV rights for MLS games will be split between ESPN and Fox Sports who reportedly paid a combined $75 million per season for the next 8 seasons while Univision will kick in $15 million per year. That’s an increase of $18 million in revenue from the previous contract. Although, the networks will need to see results from the ratings side to continue to make that investment.

New franchises. For the first time since 2012, the league will expand by adding Orlando City FC and New York City FC to the league. Adding a second team to the New York market allows a split to develop like Yankees-Mets, or Jets-Giants in other sports between the new NYCFC team and the New York Red Bulls. What these two new franchises can bring to the table attendance wise and notoriety wise will be a storyline to watch.

Credit: GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

Influx of International Stars. The trend of big international names coming to the MLS continued this offseason with the likes of Stephen Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Kaka, and Sebastian Giovinco all coming to various franchises. We’ve seen other players like Thierry Henry, Tim Cahill, among others come over to play in the MLS in the past and this trend continues, we’ll see whether these big names draw more fans to the stadiums.

Return of USMNT stars. A huge boon for the league in the wake of its most recognizable star (Landon Donovan) retiring is the fact that multiple members of the USMNT will return to play in the league this season. There’s been a lot of debate over the years about whether U.S. stars should stay home to grow their own domestic league or if they should go and play in more challenging leagues in Europe. These young stars coming back home along with the international stars named above could continue to raise the quality of play in the league.

The status of the CBA. Like our other professional leagues, collective bargaining agreement talks often stall between the two sides and come down to the eleventh hour. The MLS is no different as it is currently operating without one after the previous CBA ended on January 31st. The main bone of contention between the players association and the league? The minimum salary for players, which currently sits far lower than any of our other leagues. Can the two sides get this resolved before it affects the season? We shall see.

A new season is upon us and soccer fans everywhere can get excited about the league beginning anew.

Media reports say city crews have been trying for nearly a week to pin down the odor that smells like mildew, but so far they’ve had no luck.

Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District spokesman Tom Nord says the agency is doing its best to track the odor. Engineering manager Matt King says crews are driving around the city and searching the old-fashion way: with their noses.

Nord says dozens of people have called from different areas of the city that aren’t normally associated with bad smells.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/that-stinks-source-of-bad-smell-evades-louisville-officials/feed/230 Players: Souza Has Tools To Impress For Tampa Bay Rayshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/30-players-souza-has-tools-to-impress-for-tampa-bay-rays/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/30-players-souza-has-tools-to-impress-for-tampa-bay-rays/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:46:41 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419988Most baseball fans likely know Steven Souza from the unbelievable, no-hitter-saving catch he made in the final game of the regular season for the Nationals last year.]]>By: Rich Arleo

CBS Local Sports, in our “30 Players 30 Days” spring training feature, profiles one young player from each Major League Baseball team leading up to opening day.

Most baseball fans likely know Steven Souza from the unbelievable, no-hitter-saving catch he made in the final game of the regular season for the Nationals last year. But he gained a little more notoriety as the Rays’ centerpiece of the three-way Wil Myers deal between the Rays, Padres and Nationals.

Souza had a few stints with the Nats last season, but he was mostly used as a late-inning defensive replacement. While Souza rewarded Washington in the field, he didn’t quite get a fair shake at the plate in the bigs. He had more than one at-bat in just three of his 21 games last season, making it impossible to get into any sort of groove in his first attempt vs. big league pitching (and to enhance that point, both of his homers came in games in which he had at least three at-bats).

A quick look at his Minor League numbers will show you that there is much more potential here than just a defensive wizard. Souza crushed the pitching in his first season in Triple-A and showed the combination of power and speed that made the Rays target him in the Myers trade. It wasn’t a fluke either, as he had 15 homers and 22 steals in 2013 and 23 and 14 in ‘12. It was a long road to the Majors, but in eight Minor League seasons he hit 93 home runs and stole 158 bases. Now, he appears poised to take over a starting outfield spot in 2015.

Souza’s Steamer projections on Fangraphs.com have to excite the Rays, along with any potential fantasy baseball suitors. The renowned projection system has him with 18 homers and 19 steals in 122 games, approaching a 20-20 mark that Steamer projects only Mike Trout and Carlos Gomez to reach. The .246 average prediction appears to be spot on as well, as he was just a career .260 hitter in the Minor Leagues despite the gaudy power and speed numbers.

What can’t be denied is Souza’s raw power potential. His ISO (isolated power) was an excellent .240 in Triple-A last year, and in his small sample size in the bigs was .261 (for reference, a .140 ISO is considered average). Souza only has to hit around .260 and keep his OBP up around where he had it in the Minor Leagues (.356) in order to approach that vaunted 20-20 mark discussed earlier.

The right-handed hitter could find himself in a right-field platoon with the lefty-swinging Kevin Kiermaier to begin the season against lefties. Kiermaier is another young defense stud who has shown potential at the plate, and both should see plenty of time in the outfield during the season, with Souza likely ending up in left field much of the time over veteran David Dejesus. Either way, Souza shouldn’t have a problem cracking a Rays lineup that is once again young and relying heavily on potential. This season could be just the start of a very special career, as guys with Souza’s tools are hard to come by.

Rich Arleo is a freelance sports writer and editor who covers Major League Baseball and fantasy sports. You can follow him on Twitter, @Rarleo.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/30-players-souza-has-tools-to-impress-for-tampa-bay-rays/feed/2Breaking Down College Basketball’s Top 25 Teams [1-5]http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/breaking-down-college-basketballs-top-25-teams-1-5/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/breaking-down-college-basketballs-top-25-teams-1-5/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 20:08:39 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419981Here are the top five teams and a few key facts to help you get to know them.]]>Bryan Altman, CBS Local Sports

This is the first of five articles covering the best teams in college basketball. While there will be 64 teams entered into the NCAA Tournament, half of them won’t make it through to the second round. Here are the upper-echelon teams, all of which have the potential to make a deep run into the tournament this year.

(Note: All rankings are based on AP Poll as of March 2)

If you’re anything like me, this is usually the time of year when you begin to cram for the final exam known as March Madness. The problem is that too often it feels like you missed this year’s prerequisite course and are stuck listening to advanced conjecture from talking heads that you don’t understand. Simply put: you’re out of your league – and I feel your pain.

There’s so much information, so many teams, so many new faces in old jerseys that it’s nearly impossible to remember every key detail. But thankfully there’s hope. Just like any other situation where you have to digest an obscene amount of information, taking it one small step at a time is the key. So without further ado, here are the first five teams and a few key facts to help you get to know this year’s iteration of them.

1. Kentucky – 29-0

Usually I’d begin this session with some sort of sly, sardonic remark like ‘you’ve been living under a rock if you don’t know about Kentucky,’ but that’s not fair. We’re all beginners here and we’re all in this hunt for information together. So, let’s talk about Kentucky. The Wildcats are unbeaten, which is sort of all you need to know about them. Let’s dig in a little further though.

Coach/Conference – John Calipari (6th season) – SEC

Recent Tournament History – 2012 National Champions – Lost in NCAA championship, 2014

Best Player(s) – Willie Cauley-Stein and Carl-Anthony Towns - The hyphenated front court of Kentucky has been dominant as expected. Cauley-Stein will be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft should he enter it and alongside Towns they have made Kentucky unstoppable.

Important Victories – Def. Louisville 58-50 – This was the closest Kentucky has come all year to a defeat from a ranked opponent and it came against their long-time rivals.

Important Losses – None

Biggest Question – Will the one-and-done nature of March Madness get the best of the nation’s undisputed best team?

Virginia’s success this season hasn’t been very surprising for most. Virginia began the season in the top 10 of most analysts top 25 predictions and have stayed the course and have a 24-1 record to show for it. The Cavaliers aren’t known as the most exciting team in college ball due to their slow, deliberate style of play, but it sure is effective.

Coach/Conference – Tony Bennett (Not the one that left his heart in San Francisco) – (6th season) – ACC

Best Player(s) – Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Anderson – Unlike Kentucky, the Cavaliers are lead by their back court of Brogdon and Anderson.

Important Victories – Def. (9) Louisville, (12) North Carolina – The more important of these two wins was over UNC, that victory came just days after a loss to Duke and could have been a troubling back-to-back defeat for UVA.

Important Losses- Duke – They managed to minimize the damage, but a victory over Duke would have been one of the program’s biggest in a very long time.

Biggest Question – Can they beat Kentucky? (This could get repetitive)

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 28: Malcolm Brogdon #15 and Justin Anderson #1 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrate after a play against the Michigan State Spartans during the regional semifinal of the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

3. Duke – 26-3

Duke has weathered a storm of tough opponents and come out on top more times than not proving to everyone that they’ll be a force in the tournament this March as usual.

Coach/Conference – Mike Krzyzewski (35th season) – ACC

Recent Tournament History – 2010 National Champions – Elite 8 – 2013

Best Player – Jahlil Okafor - As a 19-year-old freshman Okafor leads Duke in scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage.

Important Victories – (10) Notre Dame, (2) Virginia, (15) North Carolina – The comeback thriller against arch-rival North Carolina takes the cake. That game was one for the ages and it also gave coach Krzyzewski his well-deserved 1,000th win as a head coach.

Important Losses – (8) Notre Dame

Big Question – Can they beat Kentucky? – Repetitive or not, it’s really the only question that remains surrounding the Blue Devils. They’re one of the top scoring teams in the league, they rebound well, they play solid defense, the only question is if they can take down Kentucky in a winner-take-all matchup when it counts.

4. Villanova – 27-2

Villanova have proven themselves time and again against top 25 opponents, going 6-0 against them this year. They seem to be on a roll and have locked up the Big East heading into the conference tournament schedule.

Coach/Conference – Jay Wright (14th season) – Big East

Recent Tournament History – 2009 Final Four – Eliminated in first or second round past five years

Best Player – Darrun Hilliard – The senior guard is considered a front-runner for Big East Player of the Year this year thanks to his 14.4 point-per-game average.

Important Victories – (18) Butler – While the Wildcats locked up the Big East against Xavier on Saturday but it was really their critical win over 18th-ranked Butler that did the trick. By Beating Butler Villanova gave themselves an almost insurmountable cushion in the Big East en route to the title.

Important Losses – Georgetown – Georgetown beat Villanova by 20, the loss was almost so bad you can throw it out as an anomaly. Especially considering the Wildcats had their revenge a few weeks later.

Big Question – Can they hold on to a No. 1 seed? – The Wildcats have one final big test before their regular season comes to a close and that’s against St. John’s on Saturday. If they can beat them, they should be in good shape heading into the NCAA Tournament.

CINCINNATI, OH - FEBRUARY 28: Villanova Wildcats players celebrate during the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on February 28, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Villanova defeated Xavier 78-66. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

5. Arizona – 26-3

No shortage of Wildcats in the top five as the season comes to a close. These Wildcats belong with the others too as they have been sufficiently dominant since a stunning loss to arch-rival Arizona State.

Best Player – Stanley Johnson – Johnson leads a very well-rounded Wildcat offense with 14.1 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game to boot.

Important Victories – (13) Utah – After pulverizing Utah at home it seemed as though they would get their revenge when Arizona visited the Utes last week but that wasn’t the case. The Wildcats beat the Utes on the road and made a statement that the Pac-12 tournament is theirs for the taking.

Important Losses – UNLV, Oregon St. Arizona State – Arizona lost to all three of these unranked Pac-12 foes and that has to be a concern entering the Pac-12 tournament. Any of these teams can come out and shock the Wildcats if they aren’t careful.

Big Question – Can this be their breakthrough year? – The Wildcats always seem to be on the cusp of greatness but never reach it. They’re extremely well-rounded this year and could be as good a bet as any to take down the Wildcats at the top of this list.

That concludes the first part of our five-part segment, tomorrow we’ll tackle teams ranked No. 6-10.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/breaking-down-college-basketballs-top-25-teams-1-5/feed/0Source: Federal Report Finds Racial Bias in City of Fergusonhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/officials-federal-report-finds-racial-bias-in-city-of-ferguson/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/officials-federal-report-finds-racial-bias-in-city-of-ferguson/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:53:23 +0000Michael R. Calhounhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419976The report will charge that police disproportionately use excessive force against blacks and that black drivers are stopped and searched far more often than white motorists.]]>WASHINGTON (AP/KMOX) – A Justice Department investigation will allege sweeping patterns of discrimination within the Ferguson, Missouri, police department and at the municipal jail and court, law enforcement officials familiar with the report said Tuesday.

The DOJ investigation is completed after 100 days on-site; conversations with Ferguson police, city and court officials; hundreds of interviews; a review of 35,000 pages of police and other documents; an analysis of the police department’s documentation of arrests, stops and searches; and observations of four Ferguson Municipal Court sessions, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the department’s findings.

The Civil Rights Division found both Ferguson’s racial bias, as well as its emphasis on raising revenue over public safety, has a major impact on Ferguson’s police and judiciary practices thus creating conduct in clear violation of federal law and the Constitution.

The report, which could be released as soon as Wednesday, will charge that police disproportionately use excessive force against blacks and that black drivers are stopped and searched far more often than white motorists, even though they’re less likely to be carrying contraband.

The Justice Department also found that blacks were 68 percent less likely than others to have their cases dismissed by a municipal court judge, and that from April to September of last year, 95 percent of people kept at the city jail for more than two days were black, according to the officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record before the report is made public.

The Justice Department began the civil rights investigation following the August shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, by a white police officer. That killing set off weeks of protests.

Ferguson is just one of 90 municipalities in St. Louis County. Others are just as bad. I hope the DOJ doesn’t feel that their work is done.

The officials say the report will allege direct evidence of racial bias among police officers and court workers and detail a criminal justice system that prioritizes generating revenue over public safety.

Among the findings of the report was a racially tinged 2008 message in a municipal email account stating:

President Barack Obama would not be president for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”

Another message from 2011:

“An African-American woman in New Orleans was admitted into the hospital for a pregnancy termination. Two weeks later she received a check for $5,000. She phone the hospital to ask who it was from. The hospital said, ‘Crimestoppers.'”

The department has conducted roughly 20 broad civil rights investigations of police departments during the tenure of Attorney General Eric Holder, including Cleveland, Newark, New Jersey and Albuquerque. Most of those investigations end with the police department agreeing to changes its practices.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/officials-federal-report-finds-racial-bias-in-city-of-ferguson/feed/2Danforth Eulogy Calls Out Campaign Attacks During Schweich’s Funeralhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/danforth-eulogy-calls-out-campaign-attacks-during-schweichs-funeral/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/danforth-eulogy-calls-out-campaign-attacks-during-schweichs-funeral/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:19:57 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419958Schweich's press secretary Spence Jackson told press after the service that Missouri GOP Chair John Hancock needs to step down.]]>CLAYTON, Mo. (KMOX) – More than 1,000 people attended a memorial service for the late Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich today in his hometown of Clayton.

Several women hug each other at the conclusion of the funeral for the late Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich at Church of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, Missouri on March 3, 2015. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Schweich fatally shot himself Thursday in what police are calling an apparent suicide.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/danforth-eulogy-calls-out-campaign-attacks-during-schweichs-funeral/feed/0Top 5 Sports Callers Of The Week: February 23-February 27http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/top-5-sports-callers-of-the-week-february-23-february-27/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/top-5-sports-callers-of-the-week-february-23-february-27/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 17:45:36 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419956The Top 5 Sports Callers of the week is a weekly installment from CBS Local Sports & CBS Sports Radio that will bring you the wildest callers from across the nation.]]>The Top 5 Sports Callers of the week is a weekly installment from CBS Local Sports that will bring you the wildest callers from across the nation.

Number 5: In this week’s episode we start with Joe from New York who says Tiger’s current struggles have illustrated to him that he can’t handle pressure anymore. Mike Francesa isn’t buying what he’s selling.

Number 4: Checking in at four is King from Turlock who joined Grant Napear on KHTK to give his thoughts on court storming and what the potential issues are in the wake of Kansas State’s student section getting a little bit too overzealous in their storming of the court after a win over Kansas.

Number 3: The number three caller this week was Trent from Chicago joining Boers and Bernstein with some thoughts on court storming also. But his main issue is with the punishment that the guys’ had proposed on the show.

Number 2: The two spot goes to Howard from Farmingville NY who called in to Boomer and Carton with an interesting theory on what Babe Ruth used as performance enhancing drugs back in the day. He takes the cake as the weirdest caller this week.

Number 1: Finally, the top spot spot is Lynn from Maine who joined Felger and Massarotti to give his views on the new pace of play rules in the MLB as a lifetime baseball fan. The guys had a little fun with him because of how old he sounded.

Video:

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/top-5-sports-callers-of-the-week-february-23-february-27/feed/2State Officials, Missourians Show Support for Fort Leonard Woodhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/state-officials-missourians-show-support-for-fort-leonard-wood/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/state-officials-missourians-show-support-for-fort-leonard-wood/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:38:01 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419941“If the proposal went through as it is, I mean, that’s 59 percent of the permanent positions at Fort Leonard Wood,” Kander says.]]>FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (KMOX) – Losing 5,400 jobs at Fort Leonard Wood would be devastating to the community, the Army mission and the security of the nation, says Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander.

Kander served at Fort Leonard Wood and attended a community support meeting at the base Monday night.

“If the proposal went through as it is, I mean, that’s 59 percent of the permanent positions at Fort Leonard Wood,” he says.

Kander says it would also hamper important missions that contribute to the security of the nation.

“Combat engineers, military police, nuclear biological, chemical and radiological defense, which is exactly the skill that you need if you’re going to defend against weapons of mass destruction, for instance,” he says.

Kander, along with U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, and a host of state officials showed their support Monday along with more than 1,000 others.

The decision to cut those positions could come later this year.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/state-officials-missourians-show-support-for-fort-leonard-wood/feed/0Milwaukee Sheriff: ‘Race-Obsessed’ Holder Looks to ‘Put Ferguson on His Mantle’http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/milwaukee-sheriff-race-obsessed-holder-looks-to-put-ferguson-on-his-mantle/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/milwaukee-sheriff-race-obsessed-holder-looks-to-put-ferguson-on-his-mantle/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 16:32:17 +0000bfearnowcbshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419942Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke (D) says “race-obsessed” Attorney General Eric Holder is looking to “put Ferguson, Missouri, up on his mantle” of law enforcement agencies he’s indicted for racial practices.]]>FERGUSON, Mo. (CBS ST. LOUIS) - Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke (D) says “race-obsessed” Attorney General Eric Holder is looking to “put Ferguson, Missouri, up on his mantle” of law enforcement agencies he’s indicted for racial practices.

Speaking with Fox News on Monday, Clarke reacted to reports that the Justice Department will issue a review finding an alleged pattern of and practice of discriminatory policing involving the arrest of black residents.

Clarke says Holder is looking to “exploit” the issue and likened him to a “race hustler.”

“Eric Holder has been the most race-obsessed Attorney General in the history of the United States,” said Clarke.

“Holder makes decisions that are color-coded, everything that he does is put through the racial lens. He’s had Ferguson, Missouri, and its police department in his cross-hairs ever since he went down there after that tragic situation with Mike Brown and 0fficer Darren Wilson, and he said we’re going to make this right. On his way out the door, he’s got one more kick at the cat. He wants to put Ferguson, Missouri, up on his mantle as another law enforcement agency that he indicted for some sort of racial practices.”

The DOJ report cites traffic stops as specific incidents in which law enforcement used racial profiling tactics against black residents, two anonymous officials told USA Today.

“Eric holder is using traffic stops simply because he can exploit that data. That’s the first thing that race hustlers jump to, is looking at traffic stops to make some sort of determination that some sort of racial impropriety’s going on here,” Clarke said.

Clarke continued, “If you’re a cop and you’re working in an area that is predominantly black, most of your field interview stops, most of your police contacts, your calls for service, and most of your traffic stops are going to involve black individuals. Officers don’t target, they don’t racially profile, they criminally profile.”

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

That’s according to Gary Stoff, Republican Director of Elections for the city of St. Louis.

“We have had some reports of a particular, say, touch-screen machine not working properly, but the other touch-screen machine is still working,” Stoff told KMOX News. “And a voter can always vote an optical scan ballot, even if the machine wasn’t functioning, because the ballot could then go into a side compartment.”

Bottom line, Stoff said, nobody was missing out on the opportunity to cast a ballot.

The estimated turnout for Tuesday’s primary municipal balloting is 18 to 20 percent.

BELLEVUE, Wash. (AP) — When salmon, salamanders or other aquatic animals poop or shed skin cells, they leave behind traces of their DNA in the water, like clues left behind at a crime scene.

It’s this evidence that Kit Paulsen is seeking as she wades into an urban creek east of Seattle and fills a 4-liter jug with water. In a few minutes, she has a sample that will reveal whether a tiny destructive New Zealand mudsnail is present in the salmon-bearing stream.

At one-eighth of an inch, the snails are incredibly hard to find. That’s why scientists are turning to environmental DNA, or eDNA, an emerging surveillance tool that detects the presence of an organism by analyzing cellular material such as urine, hair, feathers or skin cells that are left behind in the environment.

Whether it’s Asian carp in Chicago-area waters, salamanders in Kentucky or great crested newts in the United Kingdom, biologists are using the tool to help look for reclusive or rare imperiled species, monitor unwanted creatures or gauge the overall biodiversity of a lake or stream.

“We’re starting to realize its potential,” said Caren Goldberg, an assistant professor at Washington State University who is managing editor of a special issue on environmental DNA in the journal Biological Conservation. Her lab in Pullman, Washington, will analyze samples that Paulsen and her team collects.

Paulsen, the city of Bellevue’s watershed planning supervisor, consulted with Goldberg after hearing about the method, and this spring, the city plans to test samples from 22 urban streams and eight beaches.

Bellevue has invested so much time and millions in salmon habitat and restoration that it can’t afford to let the invasive snails take hold, Paulsen said. The snails multiply rapidly, compete with native fish for food and can’t be eliminated once they infest a stream.

Using eDNA is cheaper and quicker than visual surveys, Paulsen said, though it’s not meant to replace it. At about $50 a test, including equipment and lab costs, the total cost of $12,500 is less than what it would take if employees walked those streams turning over rocks, she said.

Environmental DNA has been used for about a decade to detect microorganisms in soils and sediments. More recently, it’s been used to monitor endangered Chinook salmon in Washington state, secretive amphibians in Idaho, and protected eastern hellbenders in Ohio and Kentucky.

In one study, scientists found that eDNA was more effective than traditional methods, such as visual searches for eggs, in detecting imperiled great crested newts in the United Kingdom. They concluded it could be used effectively for a national citizen-monitoring program.

Environmental DNA, however, won’t tell scientists exactly how many animals are there, only that they’re present, or whether the animal is alive or dead. Material also typically breaks down in the environment in a week or two. And like any test, there’s a possibility for false positives if certain collection or other protocols aren’t followed.

In northeastern Washington, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation had been looking for affordable ways to monitor efforts to reintroduce spring Chinook in the Upper Columbia River.

Spring is a difficult time to detect the fish because of high runoff, and it’s also hard to get out into backcountry areas, said Matthew Laramie, a U.S. Geological Survey ecologist in Boise, Idaho.

He and others tested whether eDNA could be a good tool. They confirmed Chinook salmon in sites where they were known to be, and also picked up evidence of the fish in areas where they had not been seen before but could actually swim to. Separate tests did not pick up signs of the fish in areas where they could not swim to.

Laramie said it likely won’t replace fish counts, “but it’s a way to weed through a large system and prioritize resources.”

Back in Bellevue, Paulsen and another worker collected water samples and brought them back to a lab where they poured them through a filter. Any genetic material is captured on the filter, which is then shipped to Goldberg’s lab.

Based on the results, city officials will decide how aggressive it needs to be in requiring people to decontaminate boots and other gear at construction projects near streams this summer.

“The more tools we have, the better,” Paulsen said. “They’re so small I’m not sure I can detect them at low levels.”

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/dna-tool-helping-biologists-find-elusive-or-invasive-species/feed/0U.S. Considers Banning Type of Popular Rifle Ammunitionhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/u-s-considers-banning-type-of-popular-rifle-ammunition/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/u-s-considers-banning-type-of-popular-rifle-ammunition/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:21:19 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419920The Obama administration is considering banning a type of ammunition used in one of the most popular types of rifles because it says the bullets can pierce a police officer's protective vest when fired from a handgun.]]>WASHINGTON (AP/KMOX) – The Obama administration is considering banning a type of ammunition used in one of the most popular types of rifles because it says the bullets can pierce a police officer’s protective vest when fired from a handgun.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is proposing the ban of some types of 5.56 mm rounds or .223-caliber used in widely available and popular AR-15-style rifles because the bullets can also be used in some new types of handguns.

Other types of 5.56 mm rounds would still be legal to buy, own and fire from guns.

The rule change would affect only “M855 green tip” or “SS109″ rounds with certain types of metal cores.

People who already own the ammunition would be allowed to continue to legally own it, but manufacturers would not be allowed to produce, sell, import or distribute it.

A local gun shop president says he’s not surprised by rising national demand for the type of rifle ammo the ATF would like to see banned.

Karl Schoenbeck of On Target in Valley Park says the round commonly referred to as “green tip” has been popular with hunters for years.

“Most guys that I know who could buy green tip at gun shows years ago would lay in a supply of it simply because it shot so well,” he says. “They weren’t going after armor, they were going after just the accuracy of the round.”

The ATF reportedly wants to stop production and distribution because some criminals are using “green tip” ammunition in their handguns to shoot at police in hopes of piercing their body armor.

Schoenbeck says the bullet was developed for military use, and is not allowed at his firing range due to its metal composition.

In a letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones last month, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., objected to the rule change, saying it would “interfere with Second Amendment rights by disrupting the market for ammunition that law-abiding Americans use for sporting and other legitimate purposes.”

Armor-piercing handgun ammunition has been banned since 1986 as a way to protect police officers under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act. The rifle bullets now facing a ban were long considered exempt because they were used for sporting purposes, such as target shooting.

An ATF spokeswoman, Ginger Colbrun, said Monday the agency is considering eliminating the exemption now because of the production of so-called AR pistols that can fire the same cartridge.

The agency is accepting public comment about the proposed change until March 16 at the email address APAComments@atf.gov, by fax or postal mail.

Colbrun said it’s unclear when a final decision will be made.

At issue is the material in the core of the bullets. As long as the bullet’s core does not contain particular types of metal, including steel, iron or brass, the bullet would still be legally available.

Colbrun said 32 manufacturers make roughly 168 types of ammunition that can be used in the rifles and would remain legal.

The semi-automatic AR-15 rifle, a commercially available gun that resembles the military’s M-16 rifle, has become wildly popular among gun enthusiasts in recent years. It’s also been the target of Democratic lawmakers who sought to ban the weapons after the 2012 shooting deaths of a dozen people at a movie theater in Colorado and 20 children and six adults at a school in Connecticut. Those efforts failed, but gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, warned that the administration would continue a push to ban the popular guns.

NRA Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director Chris W. Cox said Tuesday “the NRA and our tens of millions of supporters across the country will fight to stop President Obama’s latest attack on our Second Amendment freedoms.”

ATF’s proposed ammunition ban has been under consideration since 2011.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Leopold was traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 2012-2013 season, and then traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2014-2015 season.

Hours before the trade from the Blue Jackets was finalized Monday, a photo of a heartfelt letter 11-year-old Jordyn Leopold wrote earlier this winter to the Wild coaching staff was being widely circulated online.

Her handwritten urging of the Wild to make a trade for Leopold was never actually delivered to the team.

The veteran defenseman’s wife, Jamie Leopold, posted it on her Facebook page a couple of months ago. She told Twin Cities radio station KFAN she found the note on the counter at their home after her daughter left for school one day.

In the letter, Jordyn Leopold said she, her mother and three siblings have been lonely without their dad around.

“It has been since November and we cannot take it anymore,” she wrote.

Jamie Leopold told KFAN she “just started bawling” after she read it.

“It’s been a long couple months, but we’re really excited.”

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen tweeted a picture of the letter once he saw it on the social media site.

“We wanted to do the right thing with Jordan Leopold. That’s what we had talked about the whole time. We knew that his family was in Minnesota and he was here alone. His family visited a few times,” Kekalainen said in Columbus after the deal was done.

“There is a human side, believe it or not, to our business. I think it’s great that he can go home, join his family. To see that letter, it’s pretty touching.”

Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher saw a photo of the note, too.

“After I saw it there was a pressure to close the deal, that’s for sure,” Fletcher said. “I’ve only spoken to Jordan once this afternoon, and he’s been away from his family for most of the year, and that’s hard and you’ve certainly got to feel for him, but I know he’s extremely excited to play for the Wild and to join our team. I think we’re going to have a very motivated player and a very excited family, so those are two very good things to have.”

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/ex-blues-players-daughter-gets-dad-traded/feed/0TGF: Gear: Tailgate Food Preparationhttp://tailgatefan.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/gear-tailgate-food-preparation/
http://tailgatefan.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/gear-tailgate-food-preparation/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:07:32 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419922A party host needs these three cooking tools before the seasoning even touches the food.]]>A party host needs these three cooking tools before the seasoning even touches the food.]]>http://tailgatefan.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/gear-tailgate-food-preparation/feed/0Former Chief Fitch Sees Lose-Lose Scenario for Ferguson with DOJ Actionhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/former-chief-fitch-sees-lose-lose-scenario-for-ferguson-with-doj-action/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/former-chief-fitch-sees-lose-lose-scenario-for-ferguson-with-doj-action/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:45:32 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419916"It will either bankrupt them by having to fight it, or it will bankrupt them by having to comply with it," says former St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch.]]>ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – With the Department of Justice soon to announce action against the Ferguson Police Department for a pattern of abuse against black citizens, the former police chief for St. Louis County, Tim Fitch, says it will be a financial nightmare for the city.

It’s almost certain the Department of Justice will issue a consent decree against the Ferguson Police Department with an order to change its practices.

“It will either bankrupt them by having to fight it, or it will bankrupt them by having to comply with it,” he says.

Fitch says a team of investigators will move in to monitor, many of them attorneys.

When East Haven, Connecticut, which has a comparable population to Ferguson, had to comply, Fitch says it had to borrow $2.5 million.

He says Ferguson may want to seriously consider turning over police duties.

“Could Florissant be their police department? Could St. Louis County be their police department? That would be the easiest way, by the way, for them to get out from under this,” he says.

The other alternative? Increasing the taxes for Ferguson, Fitch says.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

A review of records and interviews by The Associated Press show Taser is covering airfare and hotel stays for police chiefs who speak at promotional conferences. It is also hiring recently retired chiefs as consultants, sometimes just months after their cities signed contracts with Taser.

Over the past 18 months, Taser has reached consulting agreements with two such chiefs weeks after they retired, and it is in talks with a third who also backed the purchase of its products, the AP has learned. Taser is planning to send two of them to speak at luxury hotels in Australia and the United Arab Emirates in March at events where they will address other law enforcement officers considering body cameras.

The relationships raise questions of whether chiefs are acting in the best interests of the taxpayers in their dealings with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Taser, whose contracts for cameras and storage systems for the video can run into the millions of dollars.

As the police chief in Fort Worth, Texas, successfully pushed for the signing of a major contract with Taser before a company quarterly sales deadline, he wrote a Taser representative in an email, “Someone should give me a raise.”

The market for wearable cameras that can record arrests, shootings and other encounters has been growing fast since the killing last August of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. President Barack Obama has proposed a $75 million program for departments to buy the cameras to reduce tensions between officers and the communities they serve.

City officials and rival companies are raising concerns about police chiefs’ ties to Taser, not only in Fort Worth but in such cities as Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Salt Lake City.

“Department heads need to be very careful to avoid that type of appearance of an endorsement in a for-profit setting,” said Charlie Luke, a Salt Lake City councilman. “It opens up the opportunity for competitors of these companies to essentially do what we’re seeing here — complaining about that public process.”

He said he was surprised when he learned last year that the city’s police department had purchased Taser cameras using surplus money, bypassing the standard bidding process and City Council approval. The department declined to say how much it has spent acquiring 295 body cameras and Taser’s Evidence.com video storage program and hasn’t responded to a month-old public records request.

The city’s police chief, Chris Burbank, said that his relationship with Taser, which includes company-paid travel to Taser-sponsored conferences, is appropriate. He recently recorded at the company’s request a promotional video in which he praised Evidence.com.

Burbank said he does not receive speaking fees and believes he hasn’t violated a city code prohibiting paid product endorsements on public time. He said he accepts Taser’s speaking invitations to promote the best ways of using body cameras. But Luke, the city councilman, questioned what value Salt Lake City gets from Burbank’s trips.

A Taser spokesman said the company has no control over how cities decide to award contracts. Taser says early adopters of technology are the best ones to discuss its benefits and drawbacks and share their experiences with colleagues.

“This is a pretty normal practice for police chiefs and other recently retired individuals to speak on behalf of the industry,” Taser chief marketing officer Luke Larson said.

Taser’s competitors say its cozy relationships are hurting their ability to seek contracts. They complain they have been shut out by cities awarding no-bid contracts to Taser and are being put at a disadvantage by requests for proposals that appear tailored to Taser’s products.

“Every time I do a presentation, as I’m standing there looking through the room, I wonder, ‘Who is tainted by Taser?'” said Peter Onruang, president of Wolfcom Enterprises, a California body camera maker.

Taser reported Thursday that orders for body cameras and Evidence.com soared to $24.6 million in the final three months of 2014 — a nearly fivefold increase from the same quarter in 2013. The company said it had contracts with 13 major cities and is in discussions or trials with 28 more.

A no-bid contract in Albuquerque and Taser’s relationship with the police chief prompted an investigation by the city’s inspector general.

City Council members demanded the inquiry after learning that Chief Ray Schultz, who had supported the $1.9 million contract for Taser cameras and storage, became a company consultant shortly after stepping down. A U.S. Justice Department investigation last year blasted Albuquerque’s rollout of the body cameras, saying it had been so hasty that officers had not been properly trained.

Today, Schultz speaks in an online promotional video about Albuquerque’s experience with Evidence.com. Although he has recently been hired as assistant chief in the Houston suburb of Memorial Villages, Schultz said he will be paid by Taser to speak at the international conferences in March.

Former New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas confirmed he signed a Taser consulting agreement after he stepped down in August and has spoken at company-sponsored events in Canada and Arizona. Less than a year earlier, in December 2013, the city agreed to a $1.4 million contract with Taser for 420 cameras and storage.

In an interview with the AP, Serpas declined to detail how the consulting deal came about but said it did not violate a state ethics law because he is not lobbying his former employer. He also said he was not on the committee that recommended Taser for the contract.

Serpas said his role is to speak about how technology affects policing and not to promote products. Taser marketing materials reviewed by AP, however, quote him as calling the company’s Axon cameras and Evidence.com “a game changer for police departments here and around the world.”

In Fort Worth, emails obtained by the AP under Texas’ open records law show that then-Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead was seeking 400 more body cameras for officers last year and that Taser promised a discount if the deal could be approved before the end of the company’s sales quarter.

“Close of the month? I do not wear a cape or have x-ray vision you know,” Halstead wrote a Taser representative.

But over the next three weeks, Halstead successfully pushed the city to approve a no-bid contract worth up to $2.7 million. He kept Taser representatives aware of his progress, adding at one point that he deserved a raise.

In the following months, Taser had Halstead speak at events in Phoenix, Miami and Boston, covering his airfare and lodging, records show. The four-day Boston trip for Halstead and a companion cost Taser $2,445.

Halstead said he reached an oral agreement during the contract negotiations to travel to three other cities at Fort Worth’s expense to talk about his experience with Taser cameras. In one email, he told a Taser representative he believed he could persuade San Antonio to buy its cameras, “but my fee is not cheap! LOL.”

Halstead, who retired from the department in January, said he hopes to become an official consultant before he travels to speak at overseas events in March. He said he discussed such an arrangement during the end of his city employment, but had nothing promised.

He defended his ties to Taser as a “good business relationship” with a company that supports law enforcement.

Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke said he does not believe Halstead violated rules that prohibit employees from accepting job offers or other benefits that might influence the performance of their official duties. But he said the episode might reveal “gaps that we need to fill” in the code.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/body-camera-maker-cultivates-financial-ties-to-police-chiefs/feed/2Overnight America Podcast: March 3rd, 2015 – David Colehttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/overnight-america-podcast-march-3rd-2015-david-cole/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/overnight-america-podcast-march-3rd-2015-david-cole/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:00:12 +0000Ben Jameshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419907David Cole from justsecurity.org is talking with us about the Senates’ look into the abusive tactics used by our military in interrogating prisoners of war. Each week we take you to PopDose.com to learn […]]]>David Cole from justsecurity.org is talking with us about the Senates’ look into the abusive tactics used by our military in interrogating prisoners of war.

Overnight America

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/03/overnight-america-podcast-march-3rd-2015-david-cole/feed/2Indiana 8-Year-Old Leaves Newspaper Nasty Message After Comics Are Replacedhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/indiana-8-year-old-leaves-newspaper-nasty-message-after-comics-are-replaced/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/indiana-8-year-old-leaves-newspaper-nasty-message-after-comics-are-replaced/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:35:04 +0000meaghancorzinehttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419897Don't mess with an 8-year-old and his beloved comics. That's the lesson The Herald-Times had to learn the hard way after receiving a less-than-friendly voice message from a young enraged reader.]]>Bloomington, Ind. (CBS St. Louis) — Don’t mess with an 8-year-old and his beloved comics. That’s the lesson The Herald-Times had to learn the hard way after receiving a less-than-friendly voice message from a young enraged reader.

The newspaper recently replaced 13 comics in the color-comic section. Some of the comics were among the boy’s favorites, and needless to say he was not pleased with the decision.

“I’ll give you all my money if you just give it back — idiots, jerks, s–tholes,” the boy said in his message to The Herald-Times.

The phone message begins with the boy’s mother dialing up and introducing her son, “My son would like to express his opinion about the changes to the comics… okay here he is.”

After a few minutes of listing specific comics he would like back, the boy begins taking some suggestions from his parents while spewing some not-so-nice words.

“He was still pretty mad when I talked with him this morning, but he was relieved to hear he’d still be able to read Frank & Ernest six times a week,” Herald-Times Editor in Chief Bob Zaltsberg wrote in his column.

Zaltsberg reportedly spoke with the boy’s mother who agreed her son wasn’t as nice as he should have been. The full audio can be heard below. (Warning: contains profanity.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/indiana-8-year-old-leaves-newspaper-nasty-message-after-comics-are-replaced/feed/0Person of Interest Sought in 2014 Homicidehttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/person-of-interest-sought-in-2014-homicide/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/person-of-interest-sought-in-2014-homicide/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:09:35 +0000Bill Rekerhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419896Man found shot along with two pit bulls on Hampton]]>ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis Police have released a surveillance camera photo of a person they are calling a person of interest in connection with a homicide in October.

34 year old Nathan Lavin was found in a pool of blood in the 1200 block of Hampton. Two pit bulls were found near his body. They had also been shot and died. Police have now released a surveillance camera photo of that person of interest and photos of a car he may have been driving.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock reimbursed the U.S. government for more than $1,200 in travel expenses for attending a Chicago Bears football game last November, his office said Monday. He previously had charged taxpayers for the trip.

The reimbursement comes amid new congressional reports detailing $14,000 in private air travel incurred by Schock last fall, which included plane travel around Illinois and to Washington. Schock used his taxpayer-funded account to pay those bills. His office said it was reviewing whether other charges might have been inappropriate.

Schock’s recent travel adds to the list of more than a dozen flights worth $40,000 — expensed under his congressional account or campaign funds — aboard planes owned by donors. That led to a formal ethics complaint.

Schock, a 33-year-old, rising Republican star, has been under scrutiny for using congressional funds to redecorate his Capitol Hill office in the style of the TV show “Downton Abbey.” Last week, his office said he made good on his promise of personally reimbursing those costs.

Congressional rules updated two years ago generally allow the use of private aircraft as long as trips are fairly compensated. But the latest revelations about Schock’s travel expenses raise questions about why taxpayers were billed for a trip to Chicago when he represents the Peoria and Springfield areas at least 150 miles away.

A spokesman said Schock wrote a check to the U.S. Treasury on Monday for the Chicago trip.

Newly released House records showed $10,802 incurred last November for “commercial transportation” to Keith Siilats, a New York-based pilot who flew Schock to Chicago. Siilats told the AP he flew the congressman between Washington and Peoria for a series of meetings, and attended the Bears game with Schock.

That trip was first reported Sunday by the Chicago Sun-Times. It was not immediately clear how Schock paid for his game tickets.

The records also show Schock’s office spent about $2,270 with Peoria-based Byerly Aviation, as well as $1,590 with Lobair LLC. Both were previously paid for Schock’s travel on aircraft owned by his financial contributors, records show.

The new Byerly expense aligns with a same-day journey on a plane owned by Springfield businessman Todd Green between Peoria and Quincy, Illinois, on Dec. 12, 2014. Schock toured a local dam that he said needed repairs that same day in Quincy.

Byerly was previously paid $11,433 from Schock’s office account for four days in November 2013. The AP found Green’s plane traveled to and from Washington and Peoria during that same period— and hours before Schock posted a photo about his “Schocktoberfest” fundraising event in his district.

A spokesman said Monday his team will continue a thorough review of his office procedures. Schock previously told the AP he travels frequently throughout his district to stay connected with his constituents.

The AP last week detailed those travel expenses, including Schock’s use of private planes and incurring of pricey entertainment charges. The review identified at least a dozen flights on donors’ planes since mid-2011, tracking his reliance on the aircraft partly through pictures uploaded to his Instagram account.

During one period, Green’s plane traveled to at least eight cities last October in the Midwest and East Coast — cities where Schock met with political candidates ahead of the midterm elections. Green runs car dealerships in Schock’s district with his brother, Jeff, a pilot who Todd Green said is good friends with Schock.

Lobair was previously paid $6,000 for four trips on a plane owned by Michael J. Miller, another Peoria auto dealer, and by Vonachen Services Inc., a janitorial and service firm headed by Peoria businessman Matthew Vonachen. Vonachen donated at least $11,000 to Schock’s political career, federal campaign records show.

Schock’s other official and expenses included concert tickets and mileage reimbursements, including a sold-out Katy Perry concert last June.

The House updated its ethics rules in January 2013. Earlier rules prohibited lawmakers from using office accounts to pay for flights on private aircraft, allowing payments only for federally licensed charter and commercial flights.

A liberal-leaning group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, had requested an investigation by the Office of Congressional Ethics, an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members.

Schock recently brought on board a team of campaign finance lawyers and public relations experts to address the controversy about his expenses.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Two Illinois lawmakers have announced bipartisan legislation that would spend $25 million to fight an epidemic of heroin and prescription drug abuse.

Some cast doubt that the measure can be approved when the state faces a multi-billion dollar budget hole. But Democratic Rep. Leader Lou Lang and Republican Rep. John Anthony say their proposal is far cheaper than watching the problem continue to grow around Illinois.

The legislation would require drugs combatting heroin overdoses to be dispensed and administered more widely. It would require the state board of education to develop a heroin and opiate drug prevention program. It would also require pharmacies to take back unused painkillers.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed a budget that makes severe cuts and pledges no tax increases.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Blues made their third move on the trade deadline, acquiring forward Olli Jokinen from the Toronto Maple Leafs for forward Joakim Lindstrom and a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2016.

The 36-year-old Jokinen is making his third stop this season after 48 games with Nashville and six with Toronto. The Blues are his 10th team in 17 seasons. He has three goals, four assists and 28 penalty minutes.

Lindstrom had three goals and three assists in 34 games with St. Louis.

Earlier Tuesday, the Blues acquired defensemen Zbynek Michalek from Arizona and Robert Bortuzzo from Pittsburgh. They had 85 points, fourth-best in the NHL.

Jokinen is eighth among active players with 1,223 career regular-season games and his 747 points is 20th-best. He’s appeared in six postseason games.

Jokinen was the third overall pick of the 1997 draft by the Kings.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Amendment 5, which passed with 60 percent of the vote in August, requires laws restricting gun rights to “strict scrutiny.”

Robinson argued that he needed a weapon to protect himself while carrying cash from doing odd-jobs, and Dierker ruled that the amendment makes the Missouri law prohibiting felons from possessing guns unconstitutional.

Dotson says the judge made the ruling based on Amendment 5.

“This criminal and his attorney, put forth a defense under Amendment 5, and the judge agreed with them. Can’t fault the judge for interpreting the law that way,” he says.

“We knew it would be used by criminals, by bad guys to try and find loopholes in the law.”

Dotson is concerned this will open up the door for more felons to evade prosecution.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/chief-dotson-blasts-amendment-allowing-felons-to-be-armed/feed/1Blues Acquire Bortuzzo From Pittsburghhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/blues-acquire-bortuzzo-from-pittsburgh/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/blues-acquire-bortuzzo-from-pittsburgh/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 21:19:59 +0000aftonspriggshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419808The St. Louis Blues acquired defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh round draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Ian Cole.]]>ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the club has acquired defenseman Robert Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh round draft pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Ian Cole.

Bortuzzo, 25, has dressed in 38 games for Pittsburgh this season, recording six points (two goals, four assists) and 68 penalty minutes.

The 6’4, 215-pound defenseman has appeared in four career NHL seasons, all with Pittsburgh, accumulating 20 points (four goals, 16 assists) and 171 penalty minutes in 113 regular season games.

In addition, Bortuzzo has played in eight career postseason games, logging one assist and four penalty minutes. The Thunder Bay, Ontario, native was originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round, 78th overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Cole, 26, has dressed in 54 games for the Blues this season, posting nine points (four goals, five assists) and 44 penalty minutes. Overall, the 6’1, 219-pound defenseman has appeared in 167 career regular season games, all with the Blues, amassing 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) and 142 penalty minutes.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/blues-acquire-bortuzzo-from-pittsburgh/feed/230 Players: Red Sox Hope Rusney Castillo’s Talent Translates To Bigshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/30-players-red-sox-hope-rusney-castillos-talent-translates-to-bigs/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/30-players-red-sox-hope-rusney-castillos-talent-translates-to-bigs/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 21:18:15 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419810Aside from elite prospects, it’s not often that a player with only 10 games of MLB experience comes into Spring Training with an almost guaranteed spot in the starting lineup.]]>By: Rich Arleo

CBS Local Sports, in our “30 Players 30 Days” spring training feature, profiles one young player from each Major League Baseball team leading up to opening day.

Aside from elite prospects, it’s not often that a player with only 10 games of MLB experience comes into Spring Training with an almost guaranteed spot in the starting lineup. But there’s good reason Boston’s big signing from Cuba, Rusney Castillo, is the favorite for the starting center-field job.

Looking to capitalize on the recent influx of International talent, the Red Sox signed Castillo to a seven-year, $72.5 million deal in late August. After just a few weeks, Castillo went straight to the Majors and finished the year with the club, flashing an impressive combination of power and speed in a very short amount of time.

The Red Sox obviously wanted Castillo — who had not played baseball since 2012 before his brief stint with the club in September — to get some work in over the fall and winter, so he was sent to the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, a thumb injury cut his AFL season short after just eight games, though he did go 10-for-36 and score 10 runs for the Surprise Saguaros. The thumb injury was not too serious, and he picked up where he left off in the Puerto Rico Winter League, batting .405 in 10 games.

Boston had scouts eyeing Castillo for quite some time, and they obviously liked what they saw enough to convince the club to give him such a large commitment. While he has Minor League options left, GM Ben Cherington has already said he doesn’t think Castillo needs any more seasoning in the Minors, so he’s the clear frontrunner in center field. He’s no shoe-in, however, as the Red Sox also have prospects Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. in the mix as well. Betts hit .291 with 18 extra-base hits in 52 games for Boston last season, while Bradley Jr. struggled mightily at the plate but shined defensively. Given Castillo’s $10.5 million base salary this year and impressive tools, it’s likely up to Castillo to simply play well enough to make the club.

It’s tough to predict how he can perform given the fact that he has no Minor League stats and just 10 big league games under his belt, but that short stint, his Cuban National Series numbers (40 HRs, 66 SBs, .315 BA from 2010-2012) and his winter numbers clearly show the talent and potential he possesses. Steamer Projections have him hitting 13 home runs and stealing 15 bases with a .279/.322/.422 slash line — pretty strong rookie numbers, especially for a relative unknown. Given the incredible success of fellow Cuban imports like Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig, among others, there’s no reason to believe Castillo’s tremendous skill can’t translate to MLB. Expect a strong rookie year as an important part of what looks to be a very impressive Red Sox lineup.

Rich Arleo is a freelance sports writer and editor who covers Major League Baseball and fantasy sports. You can follow him on Twitter, @Rarleo.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/30-players-red-sox-hope-rusney-castillos-talent-translates-to-bigs/feed/2Detectives Search for Explanation into Schweich’s Deathhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/detectives-continue-searching-for-explanation-into-schweichs-suicide/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/detectives-continue-searching-for-explanation-into-schweichs-suicide/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 21:05:58 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419802Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy says while Schweich left no suicide note "on paper" at his Clayton home, detectives continue to search his electronic devices for any possible note or explanation into the shooting.]]>CLAYTON, Mo. (KMOX) – The investigation continues into the apparent suicide of Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich.

Clayton Police Chief Kevin Murphy says while Schweich left no suicide note “on paper” at his Clayton home, detectives continue to search his electronic devices for any possible note or explanation into the shooting.

Meanwhile, the toxicology tests that would show whether drugs or alcohol was a factor are still pending.

The chief confirmed that gunshot residue testing is also part of the investigation – a process that can show when someone fired a gun – but he declined to say anything more about that until the entire investigation is completed.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/detectives-continue-searching-for-explanation-into-schweichs-suicide/feed/1Pop Channel Bringing Daytime Emmys Back To TVhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/pop-channel-bringing-daytime-emmys-back-to-tv/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/pop-channel-bringing-daytime-emmys-back-to-tv/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:54:04 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419800The Daytime Emmys ceremony is returning to television with a new home on the Pop channel.]]>LOS ANGELES (AP/CBS) — The Daytime Emmys ceremony is returning to television with a new home on the Pop channel, a CBS company.

The National TV academy and Pop, formerly the TV Guide Network, made the announcement Monday. The ceremony will air live on Sunday, April 26th at 8pm ET/5pm PT from the legendary Warner Bros. Studios lot on Stage 16 – the location of countless iconic Hollywood films such as “Casablanca,” “Jurassic Park” and “Ghostbusters.”

After losing its longtime spot on the broadcast networks in 2012, the Daytime Emmys aired on cable news channel HLN for two years.

In a statement, Pop channel President Brad Schwartz said adding such live events is among the ways the rebranded channel will grow.

“Our new partnership with the Pop network is an ideal platform to present our signature gala,” said Bob Mauro, President, NATAS. “With the Warner Bros Studios as our venue, where so many great films and television shows have been made, coupled together with Michael Levitt, our executive producer, who created the ‘TV Land Awards,’ and has produced numerous live event specials including ‘The Producers Guild Awards,’ ‘The Billboard Music Awards,’ and ‘E! Live from the Red Carpet’ shows for the Golden Globes and Oscars®, this promises to be a very special telecast of the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards.”

“As a fan of daytime television, I couldn’t be more honored to be producing this landmark special. The daytime community consistently generates quality programming and has so much to be proud of. I’m thrilled to be able to produce this ceremony that will celebrate the best of daytime in a memorable, fun and reverential way,” said Levitt.

The 42nd annual Daytime Emmys, produced by Michael Levitt, will air live on Sunday, April 26. A host was not announced.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/pop-channel-bringing-daytime-emmys-back-to-tv/feed/0Studio B With Carol Daniel: Office Etiquettehttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/studio-b-with-carol-daniel-office-etiquette/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/studio-b-with-carol-daniel-office-etiquette/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:51:14 +0000aftonspriggshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419796It touches most people in the workplace. Rude behavior or a lack of manners. ]]>It touches most people in the workplace. Rude behavior or a lack of manners.

Whether it’s co-workers clipping their nails at their desks, not coughing or sneezing into their elbow or leaving dirty dishes in the break room, the list is long.

Today, Studio B shows you what some of the behavior look like and we talk to an etiquette expert about what to do when your co-worker crosses the line.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/studio-b-with-carol-daniel-office-etiquette/feed/2Steinberg Winter Classichttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/steinberg-winter-classic/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/steinberg-winter-classic/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:40:03 +0000trick1042http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419772For the third straight year, the Steinberg Winter Classic returned. The Steinberg Winter Classic is a three on three ice hockey tournament to help benefit the Cancer Care Foundation. This year, the KMOX Mighty Mox Street Team powered by Pappa’s […]]]>

For the third straight year, the Steinberg Winter Classic returned. The Steinberg Winter Classic is a three on three ice hockey tournament to help benefit the Cancer Care Foundation. This year, the KMOX Mighty Mox Street Team powered by Pappa’s Toyota and City Arch River, made an appearance at the tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Steinberg Winter Classic was created by Mr. Joe Fresta, Jr., a two-time testicular cancer survivor and avid hockey player to benefit the Cancer Care Foundation.

The tournament was three on three and was segmented into four age divisions: (21 to 30), (31 to 40), (41 and 50) and (51 and up) respectably. The KMOX Mighty Mox Street Team and City Arch River withstood the cold and passed out some cool prizes. While we were there, a special kids tournament was taking place before the adults took the ice for a very cold night of hockey. Thank You very much to everyone who was involved and we hope to be back for next year’s Steinberg Winter Classic and maybe KMOX will get a team for next year?

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Lancaster County deputies stopped the man’s vehicle around 9 p.m. Saturday. Officers found the plastic sour cream container during a search of his car, and the driver acknowledged that the pot belonged to him.

He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and cited for having less than an ounce of marijuana.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/marijuana-inside-container-labeled-not-weed/feed/1Five Things: Wichita, Arizona Win Big Gameshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/five-things-wichita-arizona-win-big-games/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/five-things-wichita-arizona-win-big-games/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:47:38 +0000cbskaposthttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419749Saturday’s slate was incredible, and some of the biggest and best games are recapped below. In many conferences, regular season concluded this past weekend, meaning the league tournaments are set to begin (some as early as tomorrow).]]>By Andrew Kahn

Saturday’s slate was incredible, and some of the biggest and best games are recapped below. In many conferences, regular season concluded this past weekend, meaning the league tournaments are set to begin (some as early as tomorrow). March is here!

MVC showdown

Wichita avenged its only Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season on Saturday, beating Northern Iowa 74-60 to win its second straight league title. Gregg Marshall said it was the biggest home game his team has ever played: UNI was ranked 10th, Wichita 11th, and ESPN’s College GameDay was in town. When the Shockers lost to the Panthers on Jan. 31, Seth Tuttle was unstoppable (29 points) and Ron Baker struggled. Baker scored from all over this time, leading five Shockers in double-figures with 17. Wichita shot 49 percent as a team. Tuttle, UNI’s 6’8” star, was 6 of 8 from the field and dished out six assists, but his touches were limited. “We tried to throw a lot of guys at him and get him out of a rhythm,” Marshall said. Baker and point guard Fred VanVleet, perhaps the best backcourt in the country, combined for 14 assists and no turnovers as the Shockers posted the most efficient offensive performance of the season against UNI.

Pac-12 battle

Later that night, in another raucous environment between highly-ranked teams, the home team held Arizona to 17 of 51 shooting (33 percent) and 2 of 12 from deep, yet lost the game 63-57. Just like in the first match-up, the Wildcats dominated the boards and had an advantage at the free throw line. Arizona attempted 37 free throws; Utah’s Jakob Poeltl fouled out in only 12 minutes of game time and reserve forward Brekkott Chapman also fouled out. This game was close throughout, and Utah led 57-55 with just under two minutes remaining. That’s when Arizona’s Gabe York rebounded his own free throw miss—a cardinal sin for an opposing team—and laid it in to give the lead. Utah never scored again, missing an open lay-up that would have kept them alive. It was Utah’s first home loss of the season.

Upset in WCC

Another long home winning streak—the longest in the nation, in fact—came to an end even later on Saturday night, as BYU upset No. 3 Gonzaga 73-70. The Zags had won 41 straight at home. Tied at half, BYU led by eight before Gary Bell Jr.’s three with 1:57 left started a mini-run that got Gonzaga within one. Kyle Wiltjer’s half-court shot hit the rim as time expired. Tyler Haws, the fourth-leading scorer in the country, had just 10 points on 3 of 11 shooting, but the Cougars never panicked. Gonzaga had long ago clinched the West Coast Conference regular season title, but the loss may cost it a No. 1 seed, while the “bubbly” BYU notched a huge victory.

March Madness

Thirteen conferences have wrapped up regular season play and are ready to begin tournaments that determine automatic bids to the Big Dance. Bubble teams should keep an eye on the aforementioned Missouri Valley and WCC, where bid stealers lurk. Fans looking for an edge in bracket challenges should watch the Horizon, where Valparaiso heads a handful of potentially dangerous teams, MAAC (Iona), Southern (Wofford), and Ohio Valley (Murray) tournaments.

Top freshman sits

Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander, the No. 4 overall recruit in the country, sat out Saturday’s win against Texas as the school looks into an eligibility concern raised by the NCAA. Alexander has not had the impact of other top-ranked freshman, averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Jayhawks. He is a starter, but his minutes had shrunk the previous three games.

Andrew Kahn is a regular contributor to CBS Local who also writes for Newsday and The Wall Street Journal. He writes about college basketball and other sports at AndrewJKahn.com. Email him at andrewjkahn@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @AndrewKahn.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/five-things-wichita-arizona-win-big-games/feed/2Funeral Services Planned for Victims of Tyrone Shootinghttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/funeral-services-planned-for-victims-of-tyrone-shooting/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/funeral-services-planned-for-victims-of-tyrone-shooting/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:25:36 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419736Elliott-Gentry Funeral Home says services are planned for Thursday in Willow Springs for four victims believed to be cousins of the shooter.]]>TYRONE, Mo. (KMOX) – Relatives will begin burying victims of a southern Missouri shooting spree this week.

A southern Missouri sheriff over the weekend identified the final three victims in the shooting rampage.

Texas County Sheriff James Sigman announced that 68-year-old Darrell Shriver; his son, 46-year-old Carey Shriver; and Carey’s wife, 44-year-old Valirea Love Shriver, died in the violence.

Arrangements are pending for the three victims identified Saturday, while a wounded relative recovers.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/funeral-services-planned-for-victims-of-tyrone-shooting/feed/2New Images of St. Louis NFL Stadium Releasedhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/new-images-of-st-louis-nfl-stadium-released/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/new-images-of-st-louis-nfl-stadium-released/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:14:09 +0000Brad Choathttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419739The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority also announced the addition of 5 consultants to join Gov. Nixon’s task force to develop plans for a NFL stadium project in downtown St. Louis.]]>ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (RCSCA) announced the addition of five consultants to join Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s task force to develop plans for an NFL stadium project on the riverfront in downtown St. Louis.

The consultants will report to task force co-leads Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz.

“Across the board, we’ve assembled a team of best-in-class consultants who understand our opportunity and vision, and who’ve been there and done this before,” Peacock said in a news release. “Bringing these experts together is further evidence of our sincerity to keep the Rams in St. Louis and the progress we’ve made in those efforts in just the past several weeks.”

The task force also released a new round of stadium and property renderings by HOK that reflect input received over past weeks from the NFL and St. Louis Rams, as well as key stakeholders in the project including Ameren, the Terminal Railroad Association, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Barrett Sports Group, LLC – Based in Manhattan Beach, California, Barrett Sports Group (BSG) is a sports management consulting firm that will provide a comprehensive review and evaluation of NFL stadium deal structures and leases, and will assist in developing cash flow models for the new stadium and the team. The lead will be Dan Barrett, founder and principal of the group who has over 24 years of sports industry experience and has worked on numerous NFL stadium projects for the public sector and teams including New Atlanta Falcons Stadium, CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Invesco Field at Mile in Denver and Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans, among others.

Columbia Capital Management, LLC – Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Columbia Capital Management is a municipal advisor that will provide guidance on funding strategies to develop the financing plan for a new stadium.

Downtown Now!, Inc. – Downtown Now! is the development entity aligned with Downtown STL, Inc., a community based organization devoted to increasing investment in downtown St Louis through public/private partnership. The lead will be Doug Woodruff, president of both organizations. Woodruff comes with extensive real estate development experience and will be responsible for land assemblage on behalf of the RSA. He has been closely involved with the stadium project from the beginning providing his real estate expertise and development experience.

FleishmanHillard – The St. Louis office of FleishmanHillard, a full-service international communications firm based in St. Louis with more than 80 offices worldwide, will serve the task force with communications support, content and strategy. The lead will be Jim Woodcock, co-lead of the firm’s global sports practice. A lifelong St. Louisan, Woodcock has extensive marketing and communications experience with NFL league executives and ownership, as well as on stadium projects in the NFL and other sports.

SMG - Based in Philadelphia, SMG is an industry-leading private facility management company that will provide pre-development consulting services, including developing economic modeling and forecasting for the new stadium project and reviewing the conceptual and schematic design for the project. The lead will be SMG Executive Vice President, Doug Thornton, who is based at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans where he led the $225 million rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina. He oversees SMG’s Stadium and Arena properties and has been a leader in producing Super Bowls, Men’s and Women’s NCAA Final Fours, BCS Championship football games and many other major events.

The consultants join sports facility construction veteran John Loyd, who was announced earlier this month.

The measure to approve Loyd and the new consultants was approved unanimously by the authority board, which is empowered to acquire, purchase or lease and construct, operate and maintain convention centers, sports stadiums, field houses, indoor and outdoor convention, recreational and entertainment facilities in St. Louis, according to the release.

As part of the on-going process to prepare for the development of a stadium, a request for proposals will be released this week by the RCSCA for construction management.

“This is an important step to further refine cost estimates and construction schedules in working with our design firm HOK as the stadium development progresses,” Peacock said in the release.

St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong said the club acquired Michalek and a conditional third round draft pick from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for forward Maxim Letunov.

Letunov was the Blues’ second round pick (52nd overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Michalek, 32, has dressed in 53 games with Arizona this season, posting eight points (two goals, six assists) and 12 penalty minutes. He has played 11 seasons in the NHL, including with Minnesota (2003-04), Pittsburgh (2010-12) and Arizona (2005-10, 2012-15).

Michalek has accumulated 167 points (38 goals, 129 assists) and 296 penalty minutes in 696 career regular season games. He has also played in 20 career postseason games, recording four assists.

Michalek is sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, but told Chris Hrabe that he hopes to start skating tomorrow and return to game action soon.

Michalek Health Update

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/blues-acquire-arizona-defenseman-michalek/feed/1Woman Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver on I-70http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/woman-killed-by-hit-and-run-driver-on-i-70/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/woman-killed-by-hit-and-run-driver-on-i-70/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 15:00:46 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419710A 20-year-old woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver early this morning near Lambert Airport.]]>ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – A 20-year-old woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver early this morning near Lambert Airport.

Sgt. Al Nothum with the Missouri State Highway Patrol says the black or dark-colored GMC, possibly a Sierra, hit Nicole Cook as she and a friend were walking on the shoulder along westbound Interstate 70 just after 1 a.m., then kept going.

Westbound lanes were closed for more than an hour near the Airflight Drive exit.

That’s led to an appeal to the hit-and-run driver:

“We would really like the individual who struck this young woman to give the Highway Patrol a call,” Nothum says, adding that they may not know that they struck someone.

The number for Missorui Police Headquarters is (636) 300-2800.

The vehicle will have damage to the front-left side.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

If the answer is “no” or even “I’m not sure,” that’s worrisome to Jim Kramper.

Kramper is the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Weldon Spring.

We’re now making the transition to a time of year where weather has been especially active and dangerous in recent years – so preparedness is key, he says.

“So ask yourself ‘Okay, if I’m threatened by bad weather do I know what to do?'” Kramper says. “What to do if you’re at work, at home, driving. Because if you’re faced with it all of a sudden, you may not have time to sit there and go through a checklist, you’ve got to respond quickly.”

Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual event held in advance of storm season as a cooperative effort between the National Weather Service, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and local emergency managers.

“As we’ve seen many times, severe storms can strike anywhere in Missouri at any time with devastating results,” SEMA director Ron Walker says. “Everyone needs to understand that some simple advance planning and preparation can mean the difference between life and death.”

A few things to keep in mind:

* Tornado watch means watch the sky, a tornado may be forming during a thunderstorm.

* Tornado warning means seek shelter immediately.

* The safest shelter is an interior room without windows on the lowest floor of a building.

* DO NOT seek shelter in a cafeteria, gymnasium or other large open room because the roof might collapse.

* Immediately leave a mobile home to seek shelter in a nearby building.

* If you are driving, stop and take shelter in a nearby building.

* Never drive into standing water. It can take less than 6 inches of fast-moving water to make a slow moving car float away.

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/its-missouri-severe-weather-awareness-week/feed/1NYT: Justice Dept. Report on Ferguson Police Could be Released This Weekhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/nyt-justice-dept-report-on-ferguson-police-could-be-released-this-week/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/nyt-justice-dept-report-on-ferguson-police-could-be-released-this-week/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:27:06 +0000amitysheddhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419704The U.S. Department of Justice is not expected to be kind to Ferguson police in it's final report on the department.]]>ST. LOUIS (KMOX) – Ferguson police are bracing for a blistering report by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The report could be released as soon as this this week, according to the New York Times, and it is expected to identify long-standing patterns of serious racial discrimination by Ferguson police.

According to the New York Times, the report will say Ferguson police are twice as likely to pull over a black person than a white one, even though they’ve found more contraband searching vehicles of whites.

It is also expected to reiterate that Ferguson balances its budget with traffic fines.

The report “will force Ferguson officials to either negotiate a settlement with the Justice Department or face being sued by it on civil rights charges,” says the New York Times.

A separate Justice Department investigation of Darren Wilson, the former Ferguson police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown last summer, is expected to clear him of federal charges.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/nyt-justice-dept-report-on-ferguson-police-could-be-released-this-week/feed/0Illinois Lawmakers Will Soon Consider Cameras in Nursing Homeshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/follow-up-illinois-lawmakers-will-soon-consider-cameras-in-nursing-homes/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/follow-up-illinois-lawmakers-will-soon-consider-cameras-in-nursing-homes/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 12:00:07 +0000Megan Lynchhttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419621Rep. Greg Harris says the Illinois bill would allow nursing home residents and their families to install recording devices in their rooms. ]]>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KMOX) – KMOX News recently reported about a new proposal in Missouri that would allow cameras in nursing homes in an effort to protect residents from abuse and neglect.

Illinois lawmakers are working to get a similar law on the books.

“We’ve seen over a 100 incidents in the last year in Illinois of seniors in nursing homes who suffered from abuse, neglect or financial exploitation,” says Rep. Greg Harris.

Harris says the Illinois bill would allow nursing home residents and their families to install recording devices in their rooms.

“If we can prevent any of those cases, then we’ve done a good job,” he says.

Harris tells KMOX they’ve crafted the legislation to address privacy concerns: Roommates or their legal guardians would have to give consent, and notification would be posted at a care facility’s entrance.

The Illinois ACLU tells KMOX News it is neutral on the bill.

While costs for equipment and installation would primarily be born by patients and their families, Harris says he’s willing to work with care facilities to minimize their costs, as well.

Pat Comstock, executive director of the Health Care Council of Illinois, was not available to comment, but did provide KMOX News with the following statement:

“We plan to work with elected officials on this issue, as well as any proposed legislation, to make sure the best interest of nursing home residents is at the heart of any new policy. Quality care and safety continues to be our top priority. Privacy and dignity in a healthcare setting are serious concerns. Potential web-streamed images must be adequately safeguarded to remain private. We must also support underfunded nursing homes to make sure they have the infrastructure and bandwidth to handle these technologies while maintaining current healthcare technologies.”

]]>http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/follow-up-illinois-lawmakers-will-soon-consider-cameras-in-nursing-homes/feed/2Overnight America Podcast: March 2nd, 2015 – Alonso Duarlde, Jeffery Shillinghttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/overnight-america-podcast-march-2nd-2015-alonso-duarlde-jeffery-shilling/
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/03/02/overnight-america-podcast-march-2nd-2015-alonso-duarlde-jeffery-shilling/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 11:00:23 +0000Ben Jameshttp://stlouis.cbslocal.com/?p=419699Each week on the show you are familiar with us talking to Dave White about movies and the Linoleum Knife Podcast with his co-host Alonso Duralde from thewrap.com. Alonso took a moment to talk with […]]]>Each week on the show you are familiar with us talking to Dave White about movies and the Linoleum Knife Podcast with his co-host Alonso Duralde from thewrap.com. Alonso took a moment to talk with us about the life and legacy of Leonard Nimoy.